Six Sentence Sunday #3

The creature crawled from the shadows, crouching low on human hands and knees. Keeping its pelt-covered body close to the ground, it used the meager height of her sleeping pallet to shield it from being silhouetted on the tent walls by her single candle. Beneath the animal mask generous lips stretched a shaggy beard revealing even white teeth. It extended its hand. A barrette carved of white bone rested on its calloused palm. The monster touched one end of the hair ornament, extracting a blade narrow enough to conceal behind a single finger, yet long enough to pierce a man’s heart.

“If I deceive,” it whispered, “you can be a widow as quickly as a bride.”